For the Pittsburgh Steelers, it seems like their chances at competing for a Super Bowl have always gone as far as their linebacker room has let them. Jack Ham and Jack Lambert, Chad Brown and Levon Kirkland, and Larry Foote and James Farrior are just a few examples of linebacker pairings the Steelers have had during times of success. Even the most recent era where the Steelers have legitimately competed for a championship saw Ryan Shazier and Vince Williams playing great football. The Steelers have been lacking at the position for the past few years, but perhaps rookie Payton Wilson could help change that.
The Steelers’ signing of Patrick Queen solves one of the spots at middle linebacker, but with Cole Holcomb’s status up in the air and Elandon Roberts not being a true every-down player, Wilson may be forced into the starting lineup sooner rather than later. However, according to Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema on its YouTube channel, this may be more of a benefit to Wilson than it is a hindrance.
“This guy’s got the opportunity to force fumbles for you, to have a really high coverage grade, to get sacks, to be just somebody who is all over the field. Linebackers have the innate ability in the middle of the field to really stuff the stat sheet, not just like with total tackles,” Sikkema said when talking about Wilson’s odds of winning Defensive Rookie of the Year. “If Payton Wilson can get a starting linebacker spot on this team to start the season, I really do think that he can stuff the sheet, and at the end of the year, he can really have an impressive stat sheet. They have Patrick Queen, I know they have Cole Holcomb as well, Elandon Roberts. Payton Wilson could honestly be a contributing, if not starting, linebacker for this team pretty quickly.”
The last time the Steelers had a player win Defensive Rookie of the Year, it was Kendrell Bell, a linebacker who did get the chance to start right away and stuffed the stat sheet. It’s not improbable to consider Wilson having a similar impact if he stays healthy. Reports emerged during the draft that Wilson fell to the bottom of the third round because he doesn’t have an ACL, but he was healthy during his last two seasons in college and played great.
Queen is an exceptional player, and based on the amount of money they gave him, the Steelers believe that too. However, they also know that they need depth at that position, especially after last year where they called Myles Jack to come play for them off the couch. After being gashed on the ground several times in the past few years, the team has taken steps to strengthen its run defense once more, and that includes linebacker. Queen and Wilson both provide not only the ability to help defend the run, but they also exist as great pass defenders due to their athleticism.
For the Steelers to make some real noise in the playoffs this year, they’ll need Wilson to be a serious contributor. Playing against high-powered offenses like the Chiefs, Bills, or Bengals will require the Steelers to have a steady presence in the middle. Linebacker has become a less valued position in the NFL today due to the way offenses have evolved, but Wilson’s combination of size, athleticism, and skill indicate that he is everything the league wants in the position today. His stat sheet should get stuffed as long as he stays healthy.